Yearly Archives: 2013

GREEN ART PARADE – July 13 & Aug 10

This post comes to you from Green Public Art

dd6004796c8b04814e47d27d65bc7c40GREEN ART PARADE: San Diego ~ July 13 and August 10, 2013

Join us on two Saturday evenings this summer for a GREEN ART PARADE, a curated street spectacle of portable sculptures, art bikes, green fashion and performances by Southern California artists with a message about the environment.

The PARADE will begin at 7:00pm at Art Produce (3139 University Avenue, San Diego, CA 92104). The parade will conclude around 8:00pm with a reception for the artists at the Art Produce gallery. Visit some of the local North Park businesses for prime viewing locations along the route: Art Produce, Urbn, Splash, Pigment, Linkery, West Coast, Heaven Scent/Bottle craft, Wangs, Hesse, Vintage Religion, and Swoon.

Expect to be delighted with the work of ten artists who will participate in the PARADE including:

Dia Bassett – Temaztub

Dia Bassett, an artist from San Diego, was raised in a family of artists and began performing at 5 years old in her father’s productions. Her involvement in performance both behind stage and onstage has influenced her art, leading her to create a blend of sculpture and performance. She uses a combination of traditional fiber techniques such as sewing, weaving, crocheting and knotting to create soft-sculptural forms, some of which are worn on the body during performances.

Artist’s statement: Temaztub is an invented term referring to the Western European tradition of bathing in a claw foot bathtub mixed with the Mesoamerican rite of purification in a sweat lodge called Temazcal. The hybrid form of Temaztub will juxtapose elements from each bathing structure of basin and dome. Temaztub is a mobile sculpture attached to wheels so that it can easily be pulled in the PARADE.

Temaztub is also a sculptural performance, which combines bathing traditions from indigenous and Western cultures. Western cleanliness requires soap and fresh water, though other traditions, like Mesoamerican, rely on minerals, rock and mud exfoliation, herbs, and steam. Because bathing traditions fluctuate over time and place, I want to ask viewers to reexamine their ideas of “clean” and “pure.” The performers’ mash-up of bathing traditions serves to confound viewers and give them the opportunity to pause and ponder the notion of bathing.

Marina de Bris

…more information about this project to come!

Janelle Despot

…more information about this project to come!

Suki Berry and Friends – Shark Bikes

Suki Berry and 8 other friends will bring a group of glowing Shark Bikes to the PARADE. Species like Great White, Hammerheads, and Basking Sharks, each measuring about 5 feet in length will be attached to bikes riding in the PARADE.

Every year tens of millions of sharks are slaughtered for only their fins, a process called “shark de-finning.” Without fins, sharks cannot swim, and without being able to move water through their gills, they drown. If the fishing rate of sharks keeps up we won’t have many of these beautiful fish left in the ocean. Over fishing is a huge problem today, and eliminating more shares from the ecosystem throws off a delicate balance.

A. Laura Brody – Fashion on the Fly (Live Staple Drawing)

A. Laura Brody creates works of beauty, function and purpose that are ecologically sound. She gives fabric remnants and discards new life as works of art shaping them around participant’s bodies with a stapler, staples and scissors. The newly dressed viewers will then be encouraged to join the parade for as long as they wish.

Artist’s statement: Many people in the Western world have little to no experience in making or working on their own clothing. The craze for fast, cheap fashion and goods is unsustainable in and encourages horrible excesses. The Bangladeshi garment factory collapse and the Foxcon scandals are sadly just the most recent examples in a long history of the ultimate cost of making cheap, mass-produced goods. Even “sustainable” fashion is suspect, because of the toxic processing required to generate, bleach and dye fabrics. Encouraging people to start making their own clothing from reused materials is a positive way to help break this vicious cycle.

My staple draped creations are made exclusively from reused and donated fabrics. The only new materials used are the staples. Staple draping is an unconventional way to get people engaged in the art and fun of creating, using simple and inexpensive tools and materials. It shows people the delight of sculpting on the body and opens them up to their own creative possibilities by demystifying the making process.

Richard Gleaves

Wearing street clothes and a red-ball clown nose Richard Gleaves will walk the parade route pulling, over his shoulder, a line connected to a bridal train of several hundred plastic bottles, which drag and rattle on the pavement behind him.

Artist statement: May your throwaway follow you everywhere.

Terri Hughes – Oil Well and Tomatoes

Terri Hughes, an Associate Professor at San Diego City College, creates sculptures, interactive and site-specific installations, and public artwork. She directs the Sugar Museum, a non-profit museum that organized exhibitions and projects at various locations. Her recent artwork is themed on her childhood memories of growing up surrounded by oil wells in Huntington Beach and the transformation of that city. For the PARADE, she will create a mobile sculpture made of 95% repurposed materials; a 8’ x 2’ x 10’ oil pumper made from Styrofoam scraps which will be pulled by 6-8 children wearing heirloom tomato costumes made from thrift store fabrics.

Artist’s statement: The oil pumper structure symbolizes our dependence on fossil fuels and most people do not realize that conventionally grown food uses lots of fossil fuels. But, local organic farms growing heirloom tomatoes produces far less of a carbon footprint than conventionally grown tomatoes.

One could view this project as ironic since typically the fossil fuels produce the tomatoes and here, the tomatoes are pulling the oil pumper. It also could be viewed as the heirloom tomatoes pulling the oil pumper, a dead horse, a thing of the past. I often use humor and sarcasm in my artwork. Involving kids in the project will also symbolize hope for the future.

Miki Iwasaki and the Bakery Design Collective – Caravan

Miki Iwasaki’s curiosity in making and building things eventually led him to pursue a career in architecture, and attend California State Polytechnic University in Pomona California. Miki also studied for a year at the Kyushu Institute of Design in Fukuoka, Japan and received his Masters in Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Miki, currently adjunct faculty at Woodbury University San Diego, School of Architecture, has remained dedicated to his own art projects and furniture designs.

Artist’s statement:  As we look back on the history of personal transportation in California, we have a relatively short but colorful story. From the early California pioneers and the covered wagon, to the advent of the automobile and it’s many permutations, to bicycles, skateboards, segways, scooters, recreational vehicles, custom cars and travel trailers, the culture and identity of California has been intertwined with the way we move. Many fascinating inventions and vehicles have already been introduced and are currently on the drawing boards of designers and creative people today, all in an effort to satiate our longing to explore and our need to get from point A to B. The Caravan project for the PARADE celebrates this history and introduces a mobile space of sorts, a way of having fun while thinking about a range of questions surrounding transport. What we choose to ride, how long it takes to get there, where the materials and fuel come from, how it is made and why we are so dependent on them, are all questions worth asking.

David Krimmel – Demeter’s Chariot

David Krimmel is a community artist, museum exhibit designer and aspiring farmer in San Diego, CA. His art spans many genres from the wheat hARvesT project to performance collaboration, “A Watershed Tale,” with the Mid-City Propagators.

Artist’s statement:  Demeter’s Chariot references the Greek goddess of Demeter, the god of the harvest and her chariot pulled by horses. Riding in the artist’s mobile sculpture will be Demeter. The public will be invited to a workshop where they will make vegetable hats, with materials provided by the artist, to wear in the PARADE.

Benjamin Lavender – Keep the Ball Rolling

Benjamin Lavender’s art reflects his lifelong fascination with the growth and erosion of nature. His signature style involves shaping metal and industrial objects into organic forms reminiscent of plant life. His latest sculptures are constructed primarily out of metal straps (from reclaimed whiskey and wine barrels) that have been cut, shaped and twisted into the shapes of various forms. His 7ft in diameter sculpture will be pushed along the streets in the parade.

Artist’s statement: The Idea behind this piece is that once the “ball” is in motion, it is our responsibility to keep this ball rolling on the right path; in this case referring to environmental awareness using green materials. My sculpture will be a large ball (approx.. 7’ diam) made of reclaimed wine barrel hoops, circling around a ceramic inner ball suspended in the middle representing the earth. Visually, I want to create the earth inside of its atmosphere, which is of obvious concern when promoting green building and conservation. Also, I want this to double as a single cell, with the planet representing the nucleus. Since the single cell is what all living animals start out as, it is the first “ball” to get rolling.

Interested in participating? Contact Rebecca Ansert at rebecca@greenpublicart.com.

**About Green Public Art Consultancy**
Rebecca Ansert, founder of Green Public Art Consultancy, is an art consultant who specializes in public art project development and management, artist solicitation and selection, and creative community involvement for private and public agencies. She earned a master’s in Public Art Studies at the University of Southern California and has a unique interest in how art can demonstrate green processes or utilize green design theories and techniques in LEED certified buildings. She founded her Los Angeles-based firm in 2009 in an effort to advance the conversation of public art’s role in green building.

**About Art Produce Gallery**
Art Produce is a unique artist-run, storefront exhibition space and public art experience in North Park, a diverse and historic urban community of San Diego. The gallery, entirely visible from the sidewalk, is designed to accommodate sculptural installations, cross-disciplinary works, digital media, and performance events. The space allows for unconventional presentation opportunities for artists and unexpected art encounters for viewers. Intended to enliven the experience of the pedestrian it is an experiment in public art that is accessible to everyone in the community – an attempt to render visibility and transparency into the art process itself.

 

Rebecca Ansert, founder of Green Public Art, is an art consultant who specializes in artist solicitation, artist selection, and public art project management for both private and public agencies. She is a graduate of the master’s degree program in Public Art Studies at the University of Southern California and has a unique interest in how art can demonstrate green processes or utilize green design theories and techniques in LEED certified buildings.

Green Public Art is a Los Angeles-based consultancy that was founded in 2009 in an effort to advance the conversation of public art’s role in green building. The consultancy specializes in public art project development and management, artist solicitation and selection, creative community involvement and knowledge of LEED building requirements. Green Public Art also works with emerging and mid-career studio artists to demystify the public art process. The consultancy acts as a resource for artists to receive one-on-one consultation before, during, and after applying for a public art project.
Go to Green Public Art

Powered by WPeMatico

Imagining Natural Scotland’s 15 projects

This post comes to you from EcoArtScotland

3d8154de18fcc0dc5d079c4b5277cac3Photo: Chris Fremantle

Imagining Natural Scotland have just announced their selected teams to develop work towards the August conference in St. Andrews.  It includes a wide range of artforms and approaches to questioning how we imagine natural Scotland.  The projects include a wide mix of methods, and should represent a good articulation of the range of artists’ ways of knowing, each somewhat juxtaposed and engaged with scientists’ ways of knowing.

Press release here: Successful Applications announced | Imagining Natural Scotland. 

ecoartscotland is a resource focused on art and ecology for artists, curators, critics, commissioners as well as scientists and policy makers. It includes ecoartscotland papers, a mix of discussions of works by artists and critical theoretical texts, and serves as a curatorial platform.
It has been established by Chris Fremantle, producer and research associate with On The Edge Research, Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University. Fremantle is a member of a number of international networks of artists, curators and others focused on art and ecology.
Go to EcoArtScotland

Powered by WPeMatico

Creative Action Cookbook

This post comes to you from EcoArtScotland

fd5fbe2928590019d014b663aa9f1e0bThe Summer Heat project, in addition to the Creative Action Cookbook, has a really interesting list of links to videos, tactics, essays and organisations.  Well worth checking out.

ecoartscotland is a resource focused on art and ecology for artists, curators, critics, commissioners as well as scientists and policy makers. It includes ecoartscotland papers, a mix of discussions of works by artists and critical theoretical texts, and serves as a curatorial platform.
It has been established by Chris Fremantle, producer and research associate with On The Edge Research, Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University. Fremantle is a member of a number of international networks of artists, curators and others focused on art and ecology.
Go to EcoArtScotland

Powered by WPeMatico

Environmental Anthropology Engaging Ecotopia

This post comes to you from Cultura21

Berghahn-2012-SEAE.pdfBioregionalism, Permaculture, and Ecovillages

Published in April 2013

Edited by Joshua Lockyer and James R. Veteto

In order to move global society towards a sustainable “ecotopia,” solutions must be engaged in specific places and communities, and the authors here argue for re-orienting environmental anthropology from a problem-oriented towards a solutions-focused endeavor. Using case studies from around the world, the contributors—scholar-activists and activist-practitioners— examine the interrelationships between three prominent environmental social movements: bioregionalism, a worldview and political ecology that grounds environmental action and experience; permaculture, a design science for putting the bioregional vision into action; and ecovillages, the ever-dynamic settings for creating sustainable local cultures.

Joshua Lockyer is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Arkansas Tech University where he is co-creating a bioregionally-based undergraduate anthropology program. James R. Veteto is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of North Texas. He is the director of the Laboratory of Environmental Anthropology and the Southern Seed Legacy project and is currently president of the Culture and Agriculture section of the American Anthropological Association and Research Associate at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas

For more information: https://www.berghahnbooks.com/series.php?pg=envi_anth

Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

– Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)
– Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)
– Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)
– Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura21 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21

Go to Cultura21

Powered by WPeMatico

New articles about energy alternatives

This post comes to you from Cultura21

The Museum of Fetishes, by Nicholas Hildyard and Larry Lohmann

Too often, discussions about energy alternatives resemble a visit to a 1950s world’s fair exhibition displaying exhibits of the wonderful technology of the future. Against one wall stand shiny replicas of new green machines – wind turbines, solar panels, fuel cells, hypercars, supergrids – alongside diagrams showing how environmentally benign they are. Against another are arrayed labeled bottles of new “substitutes” for oil, coal and gas – corn-based ethanol, rapeseed-based biodiesel, hydrogen cracked out of water, hydrocarbons extruded by algae.

Most of the politics and material realities associated with the various contraptions and conveniences on show, or with the energy they use and transform, are simply missing, as are the strategies of popular movements that might be considering and agitating for different futures.

How should these new visions of technological or economic salvation be read? What role do they play in the real-world politics of energy? How and what can we learn from them? And, if necessary, how can we change the subject? What is glossed over in such displays of “alternatives”is usually more important than what is in them, and there is work to be done in finding out what that is.There is little question that an “energy alternatives” discussion is at least as essential as any other regarding human futures, especially for the industrialised societies whose use of fossil fuels is threatening human survival. But if it is not to degenerate into an irrelevant show of magic tricks, an overdue debt of attention must be paid to voices which up to now have too seldom been heard.

Energy Alternatives – Surveying the Territory, by Larry Lohmann with Nicholas Hildyard and Sarah Sexton

What with a growing climate crisis and increasing uncertainty over the future of fossil fuels, it can be no surprise that the question “what’s the alternative to current energy systems?” is in the air. And there has been no shortage of answers competing for space and attention. In energy policy today, the main conflict is not between business as usual and “The Alternative”, but among the different proposed alternatives themselves. How are these alternatives to be evaluated against each other? The suggested solutions are diverse. The questions being asked are also different, as are the criteria for answering them, the vocabularies in which they are expressed, and the politics with which they are associated. The point of this introduction to the energy transitions issue is not to simplify this debate but to clarify how complex it is. What is on the table in the discussion? Is there a place for everyone there? If so, how will the discussion proceed?

To read more about :http://www.thecornerhouse.org.uk/sites/thecornerhouse.org.uk/files/The%20Museum%20of%20Fetishes.pdf

http://www.thecornerhouse.org.uk/sites/thecornerhouse.org.uk/file/ENERGY%20ALTERNATIVES%20–%20SURVEYING%20THE%20TERRITORY.pdf

Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

– Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)
– Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)
– Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)
– Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura21 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21

Go to Cultura21

Powered by WPeMatico

Do the math – 350.org

This post comes to you from EcoArtScotland

2e627d7a1ad1775211f5e833e68c77e0
Do the math flow chart by Rachel Schragis – zoomable version here http://zoom.it/4rEM.js

350.org has been focusing on the math argument (see previous post), arguing to leave fossil fuels in the ground, whatever their value on company balance sheets.  Rachel Schragis has contributed a flow chart – zoomable version here.

 

ecoartscotland is a resource focused on art and ecology for artists, curators, critics, commissioners as well as scientists and policy makers. It includes ecoartscotland papers, a mix of discussions of works by artists and critical theoretical texts, and serves as a curatorial platform.
It has been established by Chris Fremantle, producer and research associate with On The Edge Research, Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University. Fremantle is a member of a number of international networks of artists, curators and others focused on art and ecology.
Go to EcoArtScotland

Powered by WPeMatico

TOP TEN WAYS TO GREEN-UP YOUR LIGHTING & SET DESIGN

This post comes to you from the Broadway Green Alliance

HOW TO THINK GREEN-ER AS A LIGHTING DESIGNER

  1. Always design with greener lighting in mind.

  2. Always rehearse under energy-efficient lighting (exceptions for tech and dress rehearsals).

  3. Keep all dimmers, instruments and control gear clean and dust-free.

  4. Shut down all dimming gear at the source at the end of rehearsal/performance day.

  5. Power down moving heads & LED power supplies if they won’t be in use for more than one hour.

  6. Make sure all back-of-house, dressing room, and corridor lighting is energy-efficient (LED recommended) and operated by motion sensors.

  7. All running and marker lights should be LED.

  8. Install dimmable energy efficient sources for all of your front-of-house areas.

  9. Use the BGA’s Gel Project for donating and reusing lighting gels where feasible.

  10. Join the Broadway Green Alliance!

 

HOW TO THINK GREEN-ER AS A SET DESIGNER

  1. Create a greener studio: For model-making, choose cardboard over foam core, pulp board over illustration board, white glue over Twin Tak or other adhesive sheets.

  2. Printing: Ink cartridges are often over-packaged with plastic. Choose a printer that uses less or no plastic packaging for their inks. Recycle all ink cartridges. Use recycled paper, print front and back, or review documents digitally and don’t print at all!

  3. Build models out of packing materials like cereal boxes, pulp board & cardboard inserts, plastic packaging and cardboard boxes.

  4. Recycle all paper & cardboard used in the studio. Break down old models and reuse materials. Save models that can’t be broken down to be used as base structures for new models.

  5. Designing Greener: When approaching a project, think of the type of materials you want to use. Is there a more sustainable option for this material? What is the sheet-size of this material? Choose sizes that more closely resemble size of sheet goods so as to produce less waste.

  6. Spend some time researching sustainable material options. There are lots of options out there, so this will be an ongoing adventure. Start with one material and build your references slowly as greening can be an ongoing process as opposed to a major overhaul. This will help you incorporate sustainability into your current working process & schedule.

  7. Try to incorporate used materials into your designs. Look through shop stock materials, search groups like Artcube and Craig’s List for materials, shop at places like Build-It-Green and Film Biz Recycling. Include a visit to Materials-for-the-Arts if you are working with a not-for-profit organization. (see the BGA’s website for all of these resources and more or you can “Ask the BGA” @ green@Broadway.org)

  8. Recycle your set. When your show is struck you can post it on the Artcube list serve for others to claim. Or donate directly to Film Biz Recycling. Other productions, particularly off-off Broadway shows with limited budgets, could really use these materials. Reuse encourages creativity. The BGA can help you facilitate this.

  9. Reach out to others. Sustainability in theatrical design is a new & ongoing area of exploration. We can all learn from each other. Share your experiences with friends, colleagues and students. Twitter, Facebook and blogs are a great way to share greening tips.

  10. Join the Broadway Green Alliance! You will learn new ways you can improve your greening efforts. Attend workshops and meet others who have a passion for theater and a passion for the environment!

 

The Broadway Green Alliance was founded in 2008 in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council. The Broadway Green Alliance (BGA) is an ad hoc committee of The Broadway League and a fiscal program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. Along with Julie’s Bicycle in the UK, the BGA is a founding member of the International Green Theatre Alliance. The BGA has reached tens of thousands of fans through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other media.

At the BGA, we recognize that it is impossible to be 100% “green” while continuing activity and – as there is no litmus test for green activity – we ask instead that our members commit to being greener and doing better each day. As climate change does not result from one large negative action, but rather from the cumulative effect of billions of small actions, progress comes from millions of us doing a bit better each day. To become a member of the Broadway Green Alliance we ask only that you commit to becoming greener, that you name a point person to be our liaison, and that you will tell us about your green-er journey.

The BGA is co-chaired by Susan Sampliner, Company Manager of the Broadway company of WICKED, and Charlie Deull, Executive Vice President at Clark Transfer<. Rebekah Sale is the BGA’s full-time Coordinator.

Go to the Broadway Green Alliance

Powered by WPeMatico